How GIS Has Changed Our World

gis layers

In recognition of National Birth Defects Prevention month check out this map of Tennessee which shows the rate of chromosomal birth defects by county per 10,000 live births by county for the state of Tennessee for the years 2008 to 2012. From the map we can see counties such as, Williamson, Johnson, Scott and Giles had a higher rate of chromosomal birth defects, ranging from 27.01 to 36.00 per 10,00 live births. Given a mothers age is a significant risk factor for certain types of chromosomal birth defects with older mothers having a higher risk it would be interesting to compare the age demographics of these counties.

Check out this map that shows the percent of people living with HIV who are living in poverty by county for the year of 2014. From the map we can see that a large portion of counties in the southern and western states have a higher percentage of people with HIV living in poverty, indicated by the dark shading. We can also see that Alaska has counties shaded dark, such as Yukon-Koyukuk Census area, indicating the percentage of those living in poverty range from 22.61 to 47.40.

H-2A visas allow foreign national entry into the U.S. for temporary or seasonal agricultural work. Check out this mapwhich shows the number of H-2A visa recipients for the 2017 fiscal year by city represented by the blue circles. In addition the map also has a second layer which displays the proportion of the population that speaks English poorly (linguistic isolation) indicated by the color scheme.

Particulate Matter (PM) are small particles that contain microscopic solids and liquid droplets that are suspended in the air which can be inhaled and cause health effects. PM range in size, but particles less than 10 mm present the greatest threat. Some particles are emitted directly from a source such as, smokestacks, fires, construction sites, etc. and others are a result of complex atmospheric reactions [1].

Check out this map that shows the average daily PM 2.5 by county in 2011. From the graph we see a three distinct darkly shaded clusters indicating a high amount of daily exposure. The first cluster includes counties in Nevada and Utah. The second cluster includes counties within Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas and Nebraska. The third and most prominent includes counties within various southern states such as, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and North and South Carolina. In contrast, we can see states such as Oregon, Texas, California and Arizona are shaded yellow indicating a lower daily average.

Check out this map that shows the years of potential life lost rate from years 2011 to 2013. The years of potential life lost rate, also known as premature mortality rate, measures the frequency in which people are dying. From the map we can see a pronounced cluster of states darkly shaded (Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia) indicating a large proportion of counties within these states had a high rate of premature deaths. In other words people who lived within these counties were dying at an early age. In contrast we can see counties within states such as, Maine, Road Island, Vermont are lightly shaded yellow/orange, indicating people who lived within these counties were dying at an older age.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the U.S. [1] largely affecting men and women between the ages of 20 to 24. If untreated chlamydia can cause detrimental damage to a women’s reproductive system. [2]

Check out this map which shows the incidence of chlamydia by US counties in 2013 per 100,000 population. From the map, we can see most of states have a couple counties that are shaded dark indicating a high rate of newly diagnosed cases. Overall, we can see most counties have newly diagnosed causes of chlamydia.

The Eco Health Alliance in New York looked at viruses harbored by mammals and how they meet humans. They looked at various viruses and species of mammals and determined the ranges of species and the infections they carry which they used to map the worlds “danger zones”. Check out the article here.